It is only when you chance upon a fire album with no gimmicks, that you appreciate that Hip Hop is far from dead. Crowning a female champion of Hip-Hop (I use the term loosely) over the last decade has been quite the easy task. Since 2009 the most popular lady MC has been Nicki Minaj. Many have come and gone but it looks as if that throne is about to crumble from under Nicki as she has (finally!) some serious competition. Sex can only sell so many records kids.

What makes Rapsody stand out in a crowded room of female rappers is her lyricism. She doesn’t use wild flows or animated voices to get her point across; Rapsody is a Hip-Hop lover’s dream come true. Her bars, wit, wordplay, rap and rhythm are heaven. We are not worthy of her craft.

Her first solo 14 track album is a representative capsule of everything her grandmother, Laila, taught her, plus lessons she has learned herself along the way. It’s done with multi-dimensional storytelling, as Rapsody glides over thoughtful production.

Rapsody’s incredible cadence drives the album. She weaves in and out of beats, modifying her voice and delivery to embody different characters.Over the span of the album’s 14 songs, she becomes a young adult talking innocently to a police officer who is responding to noise complaints, turning the music back up when he leaves; a young girl approaching her accidental death; the grieving mother of that same girl. All the while delivering a very soulful thread.

My notable favorites are;

Nothing ft Anderson .Paak, Black Thought & Moonchild – Just because she got .Paak on the hook. Yaassss! Also the ending is quite fascinating with the song shifting into an interesting phone conversation between two women

Power ft Kendrick Lamar & Lance Skiiwalker – I mean, Kendrick was in here. Its a no-brainer the song had to be a fave.

Black & Ugly ft BJ The Chicago Kid – This is my best track in the album. Soul and rap never sounded so good. Starting off with I remember when yall used to call me ugly/ isnt it ironic now they just wanna love me, she demands to be heard. She directly asks the listener “How I’m weird cuz I don’t rap ‘bout dumb s— like y’all?” and boasts about her superior skill, as she should!

You Should Know ft Busta Rhymes – She talked her shit in this piece There’s levels to this but I’m a whole new floor/They talkin’ keys to success but I’m a whole new door. The song feels like a grand reintroduction and a battle-ready testament to the power of perseverance. Dope rhymes never go out of style.

Ooowee ft Anderson .Paak – The chemistry of these two mesh so well, it gets me giddy every damn time. We definitely need more collaborative projects from them.